What Now?
by SeeInBlackAndWhite
Summary: Ed and Al have a little afterglow chat. What happens twenty years down the road? ELRICEST and rated T for language and mentions of sexings, I suppose :3


Alphonse traced languid shapes through the sweat of Ed's chest, following the smooth curve of his nipple only to trail off into a meaningless picture or just disconnected lines. He sighed contentedly, turning his head slightly and pressed his lips warmly to the heavy muscle of his brother's shoulder; happy to drown in the afterglow full of gelatinous bones and muscles singing with release. Until he glanced upwards and saw Ed's face twisted pensively. Al's hand stilled, his expression falling into a sort of frown though his mouth was too tired to form a proper one. It took Ed a few moments to realize he had stopped but when it clicked he looked down at Al. He didn't say anything and let his blonde head fall back against the backboard. "What's the matter, Brother?"

"I thought you'd fallen asleep," he said, lifting his automail to lay it across his forehead.

"Not yet," Al told him, pressing his palm to Ed's chest and pushing himself up and out of the comfortable crook of his brother's arm to stare intently down at him. "Why, do you have somewhere to be?" He teased, drawing up a smile that faded when the other's mouth twisted into a grimace and he closed his eyes.

"'Course not."

"You seem preoccupied." Alphonse resumed stroking his torso, this time full and heavy handed like he might to sooth an animal. He didn't like that look at all, it was bothered and contemplative had turned to all out dissatisfaction. "The sex was alright, wasn't it?" His question wasn't particularly serious and he spoke lightly, trying not to lose the wonderful serenity he'd been enjoying just seconds before.

But it was gone with the violent shaking of Edward's head and sounding almost defensive said, "No, the sex was good…fucking fantastic actually."

"Then what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important." He shook his head and Al didn't miss the protective way his arm slid back into its place around his waist. It wasn't often that Ed kept things from him, and when he did it was either because he really did think it was too trivial to be bothered with or he was really worried over something and didn't want to bother Al. Judging from the look on his face Alphonse supposed it was the latter.

"You can tell me, Brother, I want to know." Edward's eyes fluttered open the vibrant gold made Al's heart jump in his chest they always did, no matter how many times Al saw them.

Edward scratched his forehead with the tips of a metal finger and sighed, only making Al more curious because it was a sign that he had given in much easier than he usually would. "I was just wondering," he started –both speaking a gentle rub against Al's lower back-, "what happens to us ten years down the road?" Alphonse drew his brows together and opened his mouth to ask what in the world Ed was talking about before he picked it up anyway. "I mean, here we are and don't get me wrong I love you, _a lot. _But we can't be normal together. No kids, not that I think I'd want them, I don't get to bring you to those fuckin' military dinner parties as my date, I don't get to ask you to marry me because we can't. And we're still young, like really friggen young, what do we do with the rest of our lives? No dating or sleeping around because I don't _want _to screw around with anybody else, we don't spend our twenties searching for that 'right somebody' it's too late. We don't struggle to raise a family, or to find me a job I'm pretty damned set for life with this military crap." He paused almost long enough for Al to give him his own input, not that it was much because he didn't know what to say.

"And what about twenty years down the road? We're brothers that still live together, don't go on dates and certainly aren't married, have no other family. I'm happy just to be with you, ten, twenty, fifty years down the road I'm content to be the hermit that lives with his brother until 'death do us part', " air quotes, "but is that enough for you?"

"Uh…" Alphonse hadn't expected any of that and he didn't really have the proper answer, he didn't have any way to make Edward feel better because ten years down the road he didn't know where they would be, except for together. The only thing he really did know was, "Yes, Brother. Fifty years from now I'll be perfectly happy to be only yours and I think," he stopped and breathed deep to organize his thoughts a little, "I think you're looking at it all wrong.

"No, we can't _have _kids, and I don't know if I'd want to either Ed, I'm sixteen. No we can't go to dinner as lovers but drag me anywhere you want as your brother and I'm happy even for an evening to just be that, too. If you're unhappy with the military then we will have to find you a new job, if you aren't then we always have missions to keep us busy. You bet your ass neither of us is going to be sleeping around, but that's okay it's not like the only point in life is finding someone you want to have a lot of _very good _sex with. We have friends and there will always be knew ones, we don't have to be hermits. I think that, as frivolous as it sounds, we should just live day to day for a while. Now that we don't have to run from every corner of the world to the next and plan ages ahead I don't want to, can't we just be happy together for a while?"

A little concerned, Alphonse watched Ed's face, unsure of what he'd see. Al didn't have all of the answers, not even half of them but it wasn't as if they could really plan for the future. Even the smallest of things could certainly change any plan they might have. But Al was _happy_ with where they were. Happy to have a somewhat monotonous life just for a bit.

Did it mean that he didn't sometimes get the urge to do something exciting or that he didn't feel guilty that even if only for now he was alright with taking things slow when he should have been out trying desperately to get Edward's arm and leg back? No. But spending an evening like the one they'd just shared made him feel like it was alright, at least for the little while he was asking for.

Finally, Edward smiled. "Yeah, Al," he said, tugging just hard enough to bring Al back onto his chest. "I'm pretty happy, too, I just wanted to make sure you were."

"I've got you, Brother, how could I not be happy?"

Grinning now, Ed ruffled his hair affectionately, "You're such a sap, Al!"


End file.
